Saturday, June 30, 2012

On June 30, 1685, Archibald Campbell, the Ninth Earl of
Argyll was beheaded on the maiden in Edinburgh, for his role in the Monmouth
Rebellion after Charles II’s death.Argyll, then in exile, returned to Scotland to take part in an invasion
of his home country.

Argyll lived in turbulent times, and had been under
sentence of death earlier, in 1663.At
that time, the intercession of Lord Lauderdale helped to save him.Campbell wrote a number of letters to John
Maitland, then Earl of Lauderdale, during this time, and over many years
subsequent.Many of these letters are
collected in “Letters from Archibald, Earl of Argyll to John, Duke of
Lauderdale, which was edited by Sir George Sinclair, who possessed originals of
the letters.The compilation, published
by the Bannatyne Club was inscribed by the editor to Sir Walter Scott.

TO SIR WALTER
SCOTT,

Of

ABBOTSFORD, BARONET,

THE PATRON OP WHAT IS USEFUL,
AND THE MODEL OP WHAT IS EXCELLENT,
IN THE LITERATURE OF HIS COUNTRY,
THIS VOLUME,
IS

RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED

BY

THE EDITOR.

Edinburgh, August, 1839.

Here is one letter from that work:

FOR THE RT HONBLE THE EARLE
OF LAUDERDAILL, LORD SECRETARIE OF SCOTLAND.

Inveraray, Sept. 20. 64.

My
Lord,

I
shall have little to say from this till after the 11. of the
nixt month, which is the diet of the Justices of Peace. I find our nebours keepe frequent meetings, and
discourse much of stures they expect, and doe buy
store of gunes, swords, powder, and lead: I desire
to know how ther frequent meetings contrarie to law will be lookt on, and how I
shall carie to those refuse to come in to acept to be Justices of Peace; whether I may in publike aduise forbearing of meetings, unlesse the occasion be knowen. I have
hitherto forborne all legall citations against any nighbours I have to doe
with, lest that might be any excuse for any untoward course they take. I find
ther is paines taken to spread reports as if I ether neglected, or
discountenanced his Maties service, but
by gods grace the contrare shall apeare. I will doe what I can, tho I get litle
helpe, for I am forced to write to the Archbishope of Glasgow,
that ether the Bishope or some from him come heere to look after his Maties concernments in the church. If
against the eleavnth of the nixt month ther could
be somwhat from his Matie to me, laying his commands
upon me in termes that I might communicate, with somwhat requiring obedience to
me, in his Matiesname, in such things
as I desire to be done, by command from him, inviting all to a hearty
concurrence in his service, and giving some certification against such as I
shall complane of, it may very much contribut to
the advancement of his Maties
service, and make both friends and nighbours stand the more in aw. I beg a
returne of this. Adieu. Remember the commission
when you can.

Friday, June 29, 2012

‘…The debate of the day, remarkable as the last in which
the republican party enjoyed the full freedom of speech in France, was opened
on 19th Brumaire, at two o'clock, Lucien Bonaparte being
president Gaudin, a member of the moderate party, began by moving, that a
committee of seven members should be formed, to report upon the state of the
Republic; and that measures should be taken for opening a correspondence with
the Council of Ancients. He was interrupted by exclamations and clamour on the
part of the majority.

"The
constitution!" "The constitution or death!" was echoed and
re-echoed on every side. "Bayonets frighten us not," said Delbrel;
"we are free men." "Down with the dictatorship—no dictators!"
cried other members. Lucien in vain endeavoured to
restore order. Gaudin was dragged from the tribune; the voice of other
moderates was overpowered by clamour— never had the party of democracy shown
itself fiercer or more tenacious than when about to receive the death-blow.

"Let us swear to
preserve the constitution of the year Three!" exclaimed Delbrel; and the
applause which followed the proposition was so general, that it silenced all
resistance. Even the members of the moderate party—nay, even Lucien Bonaparte himself—were compelled to take the oath
of fidelity to the constitution, which he and they were leagued to
destroy."The oath you have just taken," said Bigonnet, "will
occupy a place in the annals of history, beside the celebrated vow taken in the
tennis-court. The one was the foundation of liberty, the other shall
consolidate the structure." ...’

Lucien
Bonaparte was often at odds with his older brother, Napoleon.The political environment in which he
endeavored was difficult as well, as the passage above from Sir Walter Scott’s “The
Life of Napoleon Bonaparte” indicates.Lucien Bonaparte died on June 29, 1840, outliving Napoleon by 19 years.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

The thinking
of Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was born on June 28, 1712,
influenced the French Revolution.It
also inspired Walter Scott’s friend Lord Byron.Sir Walter Scott provides evidence, and his own opinions, in his biographical
sketch of Lord Byron, which is published in “The Miscellaneous Works of Sir
Walter Scott”.

‘…The next theme on which the poet [Byron] rushes, is the
character of the enthusiastic, and as Lord Byron well terms him,
"self-torturing sophist, wild Rousseau,"
a subject naturally suggested by the scenes in which that unhappy visionary
dwelt, at war with all others, and by no means at peace with himself; an
affected contemner of polished society, for whose applause he secretly panted,
and a waster of eloquence in praise of the savage state in which his
paradoxical reasoning, and studied, if not affected, declamation, would never
have procured him an instant's notice. In the following stanza, his character
and foibles are happily treated.

"His life was one
long war with self-sought foes, Or friends by him self-banish'd; for his mind
Had grown Suspicion's sanctuary, and chose For its own cruel sacrifice, the
kind, 'Gainst whom he raged with fury strange and blind. But he was
frenzied—wherefore, who may know? Since cause might be which skill could never
find; But he was frenzied by disease or woe, To that worst pitch of all, which
wears a reasoning show."

In another part of the
poem, this subject is renewed, where the traveller visits the scenery of La
Nouvelle Eloise.

"Clarens, sweet Clarens, birthplace of deep love,
Thine air is the young breath of passionate thought;
Thy trees take root in love; the snows above
The very Glaciers have his colours caught,
And sunset into rose-hues sees them wrought,
By rays which sleep there lovingly."

There is much more of beautiful and animated description, from which it appears that the impassioned
parts of Rousseau's romance have made a deep impression upon the feelings of
the noble poet. The enthusiasm expressed by Lord Byron is no small tribute to
the power possessed by Jean Jacques over the passions; and, to say truth, we
needed some such evidence, for, though almost ashamed to avow the truth, which
is probably very much to our own discredit, still, like the barber of Midas, we
must speak or die, we have never been able to feel the interest, or discover
the merit, of this far-famed performance. That there is much eloquence in the
letters, we readily admit: there lay Rousseau's strength. But his lovers, the
celebrated St Preux and Julie, have, from the earliest moment we have heard the
tale (which we well remember) down to the present hour, totally failed to
interest us. There might be some constitutional hardness of heart; but, like
Lance's pebblehearted cur, Crab, we remained dry-eyed, while all wept around
us. And still, on resuming the volume, even now, we can see little in the loves
of these two tiresome pedants to interest our feelings for either of them; we
are by no means flattered by the character of Lord Edward Bomston, produced as
the representative of the English nation; and, upon the whole, consider the
dulness of the story as the best apology for its exquisite immorality. To state
our opinion in language much better than our own, we are unfortunate enough to
regard this far-famed history of philosophical gallantry as an
"unfashioned, indelicate, sour, gloomy, ferocious medley of pedantry and
lewdness; of metaphysical speculations, blended with the coarsest
sensuality." Neither does Rousseau claim a
higher rank with us on account of that Pythian and frenetic inspiration which
vented

"Those oracles which set the world in flame,
Nor ceased to burn till kingdoms were no more."

We agree with Lord Byron that this frenzied sophist,
reasoning upon false principles, or rather presenting that show of reasoning
which is the worst pitch of madness, was a primary apostle of the French
Revolution; nor do we differ greatly from his Lordship's conclusion, that good
and evil were together overthrown in that volcanic explosion. But when Lord
Byron assures us, that after the successive changes of government by which the
French legislators have attempted to reach a theoretic perfection of constitution,
mankind must and will begin the same work anew, in order to do it better and
more effectually,—we devoutly hope the experiment, however hopeful, may not be renewed in our
time, and that the " fixed passion" which Childe Harold describes as
"holding his breath," and waiting the "atoning hour," will
choke in his purpose ere that hour arrives. Surely the voice of dear-bought
experience should now at length silence, even in France, the clamour of
empirical philosophy. Who would listen a moment to the blundering mechanic who
should say, " I have burned your house down ten times in the attempt, but
let me once more disturb your old fashioned chimneys and vents, in order to
make another trial, and I will pledge myself to succeed, in heating it upon the
newest and most approved principle?"…’

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The last English impeachment occurred in 1806, and involved
Henry Dundas, the Lord Melville.Lord
Henry Cockburn writes of an incident that occurred after Dundas' acquittal, involving
Walter Scott, which appears unfavorable to the author, on the surface. The incident took place on on June 27, 1806. Cockburn treats the issue equitably, in his “Memorials
of his Time”.